Children with asthma have specific additional vaccination needs beyond the standard government schedule, and as a paediatrician with the IAP PAAC credential, I discuss these at every relevant vaccination visit. The two vaccines most specifically relevant for asthmatic children are influenza vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine. Influenza - the flu - is a powerful asthma trigger. A child with asthma who contracts influenza is significantly more likely to have a severe acute asthma attack requiring emergency care than a child without asthma. Annual influenza vaccination, given each year before the influenza season, substantially reduces the risk of influenza-triggered asthma exacerbations. The IAP recommends annual influenza vaccination for all children with chronic respiratory conditions including asthma, and in Vijayapura, where respiratory infections circulate through school-age children regularly, this recommendation is directly relevant. Pneumococcal vaccine - PCV - protects against Streptococcus pneumoniae, which causes pneumonia, bacterial meningitis, and ear infections. Pneumonia is a particularly serious event in a child with asthma because it produces severe lower respiratory inflammation that can take weeks to resolve and may produce a prolonged deterioration in asthma control. PCV is on the IAP-recommended schedule for all children, but its relevance for asthmatic children is especially high. I also discuss varicella vaccine for unvaccinated children with asthma, since chickenpox can trigger severe asthma flares and the vaccine eliminates this risk.
Written by Dr. Shivakumar Indi, MBBS, IAP PAAC (Indian Academy of Pediatrics - Paediatric Asthma and Allergy Care), Consultant Paediatrician, Vijayapura, Karnataka. 13+ years, 10,000+ patients. Phone: +91 7795597484.
